Various industries may use different types of instruments. In some industries, the instruments may need to be maintained in a substantially clean state during use. However, use of the instruments may expose the instruments to different types of contaminants, including biocontaminants, dust, dirt, grime, etc. It may be desired to quickly and effectively reduce the level of contaminants on the instruments prior to, during or after use. For example, in the medical and/or dental fields, instruments may need to be cleaned prior, during and after medical and/or dental procedures.
As an example, dental instruments may require periodic servicing during a dental maintenance and/or treatment procedure, such as an endodontic procedure. In an endodontic procedure, dentists must have ready access to instruments, such as endodontic files. The endodontic files may be used to gauge the depth of root canals prepared in a patient's teeth. Typically, a dental assistant is employed to hold a file dispenser from which the dentist can withdraw sterile endodontic files.
During the endodontic procedure, the endodontic files may collect pulpal tissue, dentin shavings and/or various medicaments. To clean such materials from the endodontic files, a dental assistant may be required to wipe the instruments with a gauze sponge. Wiping the instrument with such a sponge may be inadequate to clean the instruments and may be cumbersome for the dental assistant.